Dear readers,

Enjoy your freedom to write your comments on my blog. Share your ideas that you may contribut to the process of constructing and deconstructing knowledge. That, afterwards we can come to a better understanding of the realities in our world.

Many readers have recently visited my blog where I tagged Star Rangers. Originally this was GoRangers That earlier Tokusatsi had a hit in the late 70’s in the Philippines. Although we did not have our own television then, I was able to see some of them from my neigbor. It was the predecessor of Bioman and Power Rangers.

In the Philippines, it was dubbed in English. It had five characters that transform into superheroes. They too have a robot air ship. They fight the bad guys, the evil ones as any kid would understand. Then suddenly it was not seen anymore on TV.

Many viewers think it was probably banned by the government for several reasons. Once children started to mimic what their fave characters do on TV, they should be spared from its violence by controlling the type and amount of their viewing. One online user said, that it was banned because there was one child who happened to play with a gun and shoot his brother.

Voltes V was also on air during those times, but never finished because it was also banned by the government. There was no MTRCB yet that time to classify the television programs, but there was the board of censors. Those were the Marcos years.

During those time, the board of censors had allowed showing of bold films in theaters, but it deprived the children viewers of those shows. During those years, Marcos had already placed the Philippines under Martial Law, trying to establish the New Society. With that is also the intent of extending his years in the government.

All powers in the country was centralized in the authoritarian government of Marcos. All decisions of the cabinet and even other government agencies were under the direction of the President. Simply, politics was behind the banning of those shows for the reason that the airing of these shows will have an influence to trigger the pacified consciousness of the people for a revolution.

The simplistic themes of these shows share liberal ideas for freedom, justice, equality and peace. That to attain those the responsible citizen has to fight. It is not only the children who can watch these, adults as well. The continuous broadcast of those programs will be detrimental to the power of the government. No resistance should be in the mind of the people.

I was kid then, I must never have understood it that way. I never even understood martial law then, though my parents would always warn me that I should be inside the house at 6 pm. Like those who pursued the cause of freedom and justice, they were also mimed, silenced to their death. Yet, the Filipino were awakened and overthrew dictatorship later on. But like in those shows, they had to risk even their lives.